''Cavatappi'' (; ) is macaroni formed in a

helical Helical may refer to: * Helix, the mathematical concept for the shape * Helical engine, a proposed spacecraft propulsion drive * Helical spring, a coilspring * Helical plc, a British property company, once a maker of steel bar stock * Helicoil A t ...

tube shape. Certain areas of the US and Canada may also refer to it as "double elbows" or "scoobi doo" pasta, purportedly because of their resemblance to

Scoubidou Scoubidou (Craftlace, scoobies, lanyard, or gimp) is material used in knotting craft. It originated in France, where it became a fad in the late 1950s and has remained popular. It is named after the 1958 song of the same name by the French sing ...

. It should not be confused with

fusilli Fusilli () are a variety of pasta that are formed into corkscrew or helical shapes. The word ''fusilli'' presumably comes from ''fuso'' ("spindle"), as traditionally it is "spun" by pressing and rolling a small rod over the thin strips of pasta to ...

, which, despite also being commonly referred to as "corkscrew pasta", is a different shape all together. The distinguishing characteristics being fusilli's flat twist, rather than ''cavatappi'''s hollow tube shape. ''Cavatappi'' is usually scored with lines or ridges (''rigati'' in Italian) on the surface. ''Cavatappi'' is a type of macaroni, or thick, hollow pasta that is made without using eggs. It may be yellow in color, like most pastas, or have vegetables or a food coloring added to make it green or red. It can be used in a variety of dishes, including salads, soups, and casseroles.

Etymology

''Cavatappi'' is an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

word created by compounding ''cava'' and ''tappi'', which literally means 'stopper (or top or cap) extractor' (a

corkscrew A corkscrew is a tool for drawing corks from wine bottles and other household bottles that may be sealed with corks. In its traditional form, a corkscrew simply consists of a pointed metallic helix (often called the "worm") attached to a hand ...

). It is known by many other names.

Origin

''Cavatappi'' is a generic name adopted by other brands that imitated

Barilla ''Barilla'' refers to several species of salt-tolerant (halophyte) plants that, until the 19th century, were the primary source of soda ash and hence of sodium carbonate. The word "barilla" was also used directly to refer to the soda ash obtained ...

's ''cellentani''. This particular shape was born in the 1970s at Barilla in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second mos ...

, when a set of pasta dies had been mistakenly made with a spiral (instead of straight) set of lines. These produced pasta in a spiral or spring (''molla'' in Italian) shape. Barilla decided to name it after one of the most famous showpeople of the time, Adriano Celentano, who was nicknamed ''Il Molleggiato''. As this name was trademarked by Barilla, other pasta producers had to use other names, such as ''cavatappi'' ().

Shape

The ''cavatappi'' shape is perhaps best described as a ridged tube extruded into a helix shape through a small number of rotations. The number of turns is commonly in the range of one to three (with less than one full turn, the shape degenerates into a twisted version of elbow macaroni).

Common recipes

''Cavatappi'' is used with Italian-style foods, such as ''cavatappi all'

amatriciana Sugo all'amatriciana (), or alla matriciana (in ''Romanesco'' dialect),Ravaro (2005), p. 395 also known as salsa all'amatriciana, is a traditional Italian pasta sauce based on guanciale (cured pork cheek), pecorino romano cheese, tomato, and, in ...

'' and ''cavatappi al pomodoro''. It is mostly found in tomato-based pasta sauces and is associated closely with different types of cheeses such as mozzarella, Parmesan, and provolone. It is a common choice for

macaroni and cheese Macaroni and cheese (also called mac and cheese in Canada and the United States and macaroni cheese in the United Kingdom BBC, RecipesMacaroni Cheese/ref>) is a dish of cooked macaroni pasta and a cheese sauce, most commonly Cheddar sauce. The ...

References

External links